A lot of Marvel fans might be hoping to see Cobra Kai breakout star Xolo Maridueña bring Nova to Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the actor still has a lot of work he wants to do over at DC. Maridueña made his superhero debut in 2023 as the lead role in DC’s live-action Blue Beetle movie. While the entire landscape of on-screen DC storytelling has changed, Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes is actually one of the few characters that will be brought over into James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU.
Maridueña is going to be continuing his work as the Blue Beetle in an upcoming animated series for DC Studios, and live-action appearances still seem to be on the table. During a recent interview with Hablemos de Cine, Maridueña was asked about taking Jaime to the Blue Beetle show and beyond.
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“There’s only one Blue Beetle. I’m so excited,” Maridueña said. “To get to continue the story of Jaime is an honor and I just can’t to see where the heck it goes. I just know it’s about to be the next craziest anime.”
Blue Beetle’s debut was one of the most widely celebrated films amongst the final entries of the previous DC regime. The movie was also largely disconnected from everything else that had come out, making for an easy transition into the new DCU.
“I know we’ll see Blue Beetle again, whether it comes in the form of Blue Beetle 2 or wherever. It’s been really great to work alongside James and Peter, who have graciously folded us into their new universe even though it wasn’t part of what they came up with.It’s an honor,” Maridueña told Screen Rant back in February, a few months before news broke of the Blue Beetle animated series. “Now, where Blue Beetle heads in the future? I don’t know. But I can confidently say that we will see him soon.”
That is one of the most exciting advantages to this new DC Universe, at least when it comes to actors having ownership of their roles. If something is canon to the DCU, it will have the same actor behind it across all formats. For example, the actors cast in the upcoming Creature Commandos series will play those same characters in live-action, should they appear. Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. will have a leading role in that show, as well as appearances in Peacemaker Season 2 and the upcoming Superman movie.